Yes the weather is changing but it's a little too soon to be thinking about winter's cold weather and snow.

Unless you're an astronomer.

Far out beyond the orbit of dwarf planet Pluto is a huge collection of frozen leftovers from the formation of our solar system. More than 100 million comets circle the sun and occasionally one will be knocked out of its orbit starting a long journey to the inner solar system. Some like Comet Halley return again and again, some crash into the sun or planets; others make one pass by the sun and are never seen from again.

In the past people were amazed by, but also feared, these mysterious "hairy" stars that from time to time appeared in the nighttime skies. Comets, named from the Latin word for long haired, are not stars but actually dirty snowballs of ice, gas, rock and dust.

Made up from this mix of debris is the nucleus. If a comet comes close enough, the heat from the sun will warm the nucleus releasing a mix of gas and dust creating the comet's coma. "Wind" from the sun pushes this gas and dust away from the nucleus creating the hairy star's tail. Illuminated by reflected sunlight the best and brightest comets have tails that stretch for millions of miles. Maybe once in a lifetime a great comet will stretch across our night time sky. Our turn might be coming up this winter with Comet Ison.

For the next installment of "CASKids," Terry Endres from Cincinnati State will help explore the icy world of comets. Afterwards astronomers will be on hand to answer all spacey questions, show how telescopes work, and help view the night sky through our big telescopes. (Presentation held clear or cloudy.)

Have a telescope, big or small? Bring it along for expert help exploring the night sky.

The program is ideal for students in grade one through six. No reservations required; a donation is requested.